Page 17 of No Control
Duke’s barks grow more intense, and then shift to a snarl. I rush down the steps, my bare feet hitting the cold ground silently.
“Duke!” I take off toward the woods, more concerned that he’s in a fight with a coyote or something. However, the closer I get, the more it sounds like it’s coming from around the front of my house. I shift my direction and as I round the corner of the cabin, my heart stops at the sight. “What the hell are you doing here?”
Mason slams his truck door, glaring at Duke. “Call your stupid dog off, Lydia.”
“No.” I don’t move, the gun still in my hand. “What’re you doing here?”
The whites of his eyes are bloodred, and I figure either he’s been crying, or he’s spent the night out at the bars—and given that it’s six-thirty in the morning, I’m guessing the latter.
“We need to talk,” he growls, taking a step toward me.
Duke continues snarling, putting himself between the two of us. Honestly, I don’t know why he’s acting so aggressive toward Mason…
But I’m trusting him.
“You can come get your stuff when I’m not here.”
“Like I have stuff here,” Mason cackles. “You’ve been pushing me out for years now. It started out with me basically moving in, and then you thought I should get an apartment.”
I take a step back, my stomach knotting up. “I needed the space.”
“Because you wanted to fuck around.”
He’s definitely been drinking.
“I wanted you to make a decision about our relationship, and you chose to find an apartment instead of making up your mind.” I’m white knuckling the gun, and I have no idea if he’s even noticed I’m holding it.
“Yeah, right. Because everything always has to be done on Lydia’s time.”
“We’d been together for four and a half years,” I say, keeping my voice as calm as I possibly can as he encroaches my space. “I just—”
“Don’t play dumb,” he snaps. “All you ever cared about is yourself. It’s about you and your feelings all the time. You never asked me how I felt about anything at all.”
I blink a couple of times. “I mean, I tried…You always said you didn’t want to talk about it.”
“Yeah, because I can’t talk to you,” he sneers. “You’re just a pathetic, sad, moody woman who lives in her fucking head. And you know what? I only went out with you all those years ago because I was still messed up over Brit. I didn’t even want to propose—but it’s too late now. We’re getting married. You don’t get to decide this is over.”
My stomach churns nauseously as I take a step back. “Please just leave.”
He bursts into laughter. “What? You scared, Lydia? Isn’t that what you like, though? Thought you’d like a man to rough you up.” Mason’s eyes darken as they rake over me. However, they pause as he realizes what’s in my hand. “What’re you doing with that?”
“I came to see what Duke was barking at...”
He snorts. “Go ahead and try to use that, Lydia. We all know you wouldn’t have the fuckin’ balls to pull the trigger.”
“I have no intention of using it,” I say, Duke still standing in front of me. “Please just go. You need to sober up or something.”
“I’m not drunk,” Mason shoots back at me. “Barely had anything. I just haven’t been able to sleep because of you.”
Duke lets out a loud bark as Mason takes another step toward me.
“Shut up!” he shouts at him, throwing his hands up. “I’ll fucking punch your lights out.”
“Don’t,” I warn as he raises his clenched fist.
Mason looks over at me and then chuckles. “Bet you’d shoot me over the dog. You've always loved him more than me.”
I bite down on my lip, unsure of how to answer that. We both know it's true. But I don’t want to do anything other than get Mason to leave.
